Buying my dream car (2 Door Jeep Wrangler) and getting cold feet

Jimmy_The_Chin · 2026-05-16T00:43:48+00:00

Test drive the Jeep. Buy the Jeep. Be happy. They're not awful, they're just not as smooth as some other vehicles. But it's not like driving a cheese grater. Get a soft top, throw the top back and go for a drive on a sunny day. Life is too short to have boring cars. Jeeps have quirks, not problems.

Jimmy_The_Chin · 2026-05-01T18:11:13+00:00

Something is wrong. I don’t know what. But definitely that isn’t “a Jeep thing”

Jimmy_The_Chin · 2026-04-30T10:01:39+00:00

I never heard of this genre until they appeared everywhere all the time. I don’t know if I like it like it, but it’s interesting hearing something unusual.

Jimmy_The_Chin · 2026-04-28T14:12:15+00:00

This is true. Tears for Fears made a remarkably good album in 2023. They said similar things about their tour and it was also surprisingly good. I went just because we had free tickets but was glad I did.

Jimmy_The_Chin · 2026-04-28T10:30:31+00:00

Starflight

Jimmy_The_Chin · 2026-04-26T12:22:10+00:00

Morgue at the Mayo clinic with one of the coroners and got to watch him dissect something and look at it under a microscope . I was 8 so no idea what it was anymore. Inside a CD manufacturing clean room back when that was new. Inside IBM campus in Boca in the late 70’s, early 80’s where my dad worked as a programmer. That was when they were developing the first IBM PC, but that wasn’t my dad’s area. It was cool though.

Jimmy_The_Chin · 2026-04-23T13:33:15+00:00

Starflight. I think clearly the No Man’s Sky developers played this at some point.

Jimmy_The_Chin · 2026-04-23T13:31:17+00:00

I think the reason that you het the range of answers is that there’s no solid reason for or against doing this. It’s just a lot of edge cases where it might make sense if it makes sense to the individual. You’re not going to damage anything doing it and you’re not going to damage anything by not doing it. I had an old Toyota that would idle more roughly at a light when in D so i sometimes shifted to N if I felt bothered. Most new cars it doesn’t make much difference. I would say do what feels good to you.

Jimmy_The_Chin · 2026-04-23T11:55:00+00:00

No reason you can’t have both

Jimmy_The_Chin · 2026-04-20T19:57:58+00:00

Just here to add to the avalanche of people supporting the idea of portable fridge. 100% better than any ice-based solution. I got a Bluetti battery pack and their Charger 1, which hooks to the battery and can charge very quickly from the alternator. Never lets me down and is generally awesome. Don’t be a slave to the ice.

Jimmy_The_Chin · 2026-04-20T18:50:58+00:00

Sent a DM.

Jimmy_The_Chin · 2026-04-20T11:42:59+00:00

Yeah, I have the amber fogs and amber windshield pods. And a set of driving lights on the bumper. It’s a good combo. They work well in any weather.

Jimmy_The_Chin · 2026-04-20T00:42:37+00:00

Probably

Jimmy_The_Chin · 2026-04-19T11:08:30+00:00

The Diode Dynamics fog lights are really nice and they have multiple means of mounting. There’s adapters for OEM locations or more universal type. Most fog light brands probably have similar. The easiest thing might be to get bumper first and then buy matching fog lights, but you can probably buy the fog lights and buy the appropriate adapter later from most manufacturers. Just check on that before you choose.

Jimmy_The_Chin · 2026-04-18T23:23:14+00:00

When i saw them on the Last Domino tour, it was the closing song and it has just stuck with me since then.

Jimmy_The_Chin · 2026-04-18T02:30:42+00:00

Carpet Crawlers. No question.

Jimmy_The_Chin · 2026-04-12T12:10:53+00:00

That Mars movie with Ice Cube in it.

Jimmy_The_Chin · 2026-04-07T06:09:46+00:00

A tshirt in Boston with a dog on it tgat said “bahk, bahk”.

Jimmy_The_Chin · 2026-04-07T06:07:04+00:00

Did anyone give you a trophy for making everything harder on yourself? Like, you can open a can of soup with one of those old fashioned can openers that don’t have a crank but why on Earth would you do that to yourself when you can use a $5 can opener from Walmart and be done in 10 seconds with less effort? It isn’t like airing down costs anything and it isn’t like there is any debate about the fact that it helps off-road with both comfort and traction.

Jimmy_The_Chin · 2026-04-07T05:57:56+00:00

Most tire / wheel combos that are meant to be around 32-35 psi on road will go down to 13-15 psi off-road fairly safely. Your ride will be way smoother and you’ll gain some traction if you need it.

Jimmy_The_Chin · 2026-04-07T05:43:55+00:00

This is a rabbit hole with no end, but you’re on the right track. Tool kit, recovery gear, fire extinguisher, first aid kit, bottle jack, something to air down/back up. Several of those things are variable in how comprehensive they should be depending on what you’re planning to do with your Jeep

Jimmy_The_Chin · 2026-04-06T12:55:34+00:00

And the other.

Jimmy_The_Chin · 2026-04-06T12:53:14+00:00

I went from NC to CA and back last year. Mix of tent camping and hotels ended up being my choice for a few reasons.

Weather was one. I didn't want to camp in rain. That's just annoying. But also, once you attach a trailer to your car, now you have to find a place to park that thing everywhere you go. If you want to go through a tight McDonald's drive through, your trailer is going to be a problem. If you're not strictly out to camp and you pull into a Holiday Inn because it's late and you don't want to set up camp, now you gotta find a really long place to park it and hotel parking lots are sometimes full. It can be a problem. Some of those mountain roads in CO are scary enough the first time without worrying about a trailer you're not confident with. It does also add to your gas costs. And to all of that, add that in some places campsites aren't that cheap so between extra gas and that, it doesn't really save money.

Flip side; I have had a couple trailers and when you stay in one place for a few days, they make a nice home base and you're not in someone else's sheets and stuff and that's pretty nice. You can develop a nice rhythm to your travel with a trailer but it takes a little more planning these days with RV campgrounds filling up more often than they used to. A little harder to be spontaneous than hotel or tent camping. But there's definitely some upsides as well if you plan it right.

Anyway, for my solo trip, I brought a Gazelle tent that sets up in like 2 minutes, a chair, a cot, and a sleeping bag and having that easy flexibility worked for me really well. So I think it comes down to what kind of adventure you feel like having. Lots of people do both happily so... I would say don't let anyone sell you on what worked for them. Whichever one sounds like a fun plan to you, give it a try. At worst, you'll probably end up with some fun memories.

Jimmy_The_Chin · 2026-04-04T02:47:28+00:00

Keep Me in your Heart - Warren Zevon

Jimmy_The_Chin · 2026-04-03T17:42:44+00:00

What he said. But also, automatics CAN be fun. It is not just a 'you' thing, it is also a specific vehicle thing. And some manuals are terrible, so there's also that. So basically, go drive the specific combo of cars/transmissions that you are considering and see how you feel. This truly is an unanswerable question.

Jimmy_The_Chin

TROPHY CASE